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Man sentenced to 7 years in prison for setting truck on fire with woman inside

NEWARK - A Newark man was sentenced to seven years in prison Tuesday after admitting to setting a truck on fire with a woman he knew inside.

Kevin Clouse, 37, last known address 169 Alcon Drive, entered pleas of guilty to counts of aggravated arson, kidnapping and felonious assault before Judge David Branstool.

Assistant Licking County Prosecutor Paula Sawyers said between Oct. 5 and 6, 2016, Clouse and a woman he knew were working together. At some point during the work, Clouse was driving a vehicle with the woman inside and they began arguing.

Clouse choked the woman to the point where she lost consciousness briefly, Sawyers said. A short time later, the woman attempted to run down the roadway, fleeing Clouse, when he began chasing her with a truck in what the woman believed was an effort to hit her with the truck.

Sawyers said Clouse eventually got out of the truck, tackled the woman and choked her again, causing her to lose consciousness. The woman woke up in the driver's seat of the truck and did not know how long she had been there.

Clouse then poured gasoline on the truck and attempted to light it on fire. When the woman attempted to get out of the truck, Clouse kicked the door shut, preventing her exit. He then attempted to set the fire again, catching himself on fire in the process.

The woman was treated for her injuries at Licking Memorial Hospital.

Clouse's attorney, Diane Menashe, asked for a five-year sentence in the case. She said her client's mental health issues that had gone untreated for years were being addressed which reduced the likelihood of Clouse committing future crimes.

There was no jointly recommended sentence, but Sawyers and Menashe did agree with a range of possible sentences.

Sawyers requested a seven-year sentence and said the victim had agreed and was satisfied with that outcome given Clouse's mental health issues and the fact that he set himself on fire during the incident.

Branstool agreed with seven years and ordered Clouse to also pay court costs and fees. Clouse will have to register for life on the state's arson registry.